Calling all who can make it--The Taranaki Windsurf Club has the following announcement [See Below] regarding the OCT 23-26 Wave event in Taranaki, New Zealand:

We’re only a week out from this year’s Taranaki Wave Classic and it will categorically, without a doubt, be the biggest and best TWC yet! Our sponsors have given us huge support and some amazing prizes, especially our platinum sponsors: Carbon Art and Rodgers Dental. Make sure to bring all your windsurfing and surfing toys, and be ready for whatever awesome conditions the Taranaki coastline has in store.

Registration and entry packs will be at the Oakura Boardriders Club on Messenger Terrace from 9–10 am, and entry from now until then is $95 (bring cash or pay online). Briefing is at 10 am and we’ll also draw the ‘early bird’ spot prize then—a brand new Gaastra wave sail! You will have to be at the event to pick up the sail if you win it. You’ll also be able to check out the prizes donated by our great sponsors:

For those of you new (and not so new) to wave sailing we plan to run a couple of informal Q&A clinics when the wind is light, so you can get wavesailing technique tips from some of the top sailors. And if there is plenty of enthusiasm we’ll also get a run down on the finer points of the forward loop. We want to see everyone pushing their limits and trying something new or huge, or better yet, new and huge! We’ll be looking for the biggest wipeout of the weekend and the best first-time-forwards.

Sunday night from 7:30 pm will be the TWC presentation, dinner and HUGE party at Oakura Boardriders Club, AND the giveaway of the Carbon Art waveboard—the perfect toy for lining up great waves anywhere. Check out www.taranakiwaveclassic.com and if you haven’t already signed up… you know you need to get on to it now!

Last edited by geohaye on Mon Nov 02, 2009 12:10 pm; edited 1 time in total

Each year like clockwork the warm up day Friday produced some amazing down the line wavesailing. A clean logo to mast high swell rolling three hundred metres down the perfect reef break that is called Pungarahu.

Today provided a great chance for out of town competitors for the Taranaki Wave Classic 09 to get into the swing of riding the world class waves of Taranaki coastline. Pungarahu was producing the goods with riders getting upwards of 10 turns on each wave. I have not seen so many buzzing smiling people since last Taranaki Wave Classic. Quotes like "Best wave of my life", "Best ever" and "arrrrr I hate rocks".

The local guys were really showing their experience out on the break. James Dinnis the MC and judge for the competition was throwing huge turns and showing people what the judges like to see. Mike La Franchie, Paul Barron and Chris La Franchie were showing why they have been at the top of the TWC honours board in the last few years. They were displaying committed sailing and not holding back. Other outstanding sailors were Dirk Schmit, Charles Dinnis, Bikki, Alex (New Caledonia) and Garry McCorry.

Lucky there are a few spot prizes of sails because the unforgiving rocks laid claim to demolishing a fair bit of gear.

The forecast for the next couple days is looking less promising. We have good amounts of clean swell. Just the wind is quite light. Fingers crossed!!!!

Another year and another Taranaki Wave Classic! This year’s event showcased the best conditions Taranaki can offer, with an insanely epic, mast high, down-the-line, Pungarehu extravaganza!

The warm-up for TWC09 began early on the Friday with a convoy of eager beaver Wellingtonians (led by Chris Brown) leaving our nation’s capital at 5 am. By 9 am they were at the holy grail of NZ wavesailing: Pungarehu. With the tide coming in the hordes hit the water and by 11 am there were around 15 – 20 sailors catching the mast high sets consistently rolling in to the beach. The wind picked up throughout the morning and by midday it was blowing 5.0 and small board weather. Perfect!

With solid surf and sailors ready to test themselves there was always going to be some carnage. A few sails came back to the beach in pieces (including two in consecutive waves from the New Caledonian brothers—who also must have made the longest trip to get here out of all the competitors. We saw some great wipeouts and a steady stream of sailors making their way back up from ‘Crushers’—a long slow walk.

Saturday dawned sunny, warm and… windless. We gathered at the Oakura Boardriders Club for briefing and goodie bags. Thanks to our platinum sponsors Carbon Art and Rodgers Dental the goodie bags were packed with loads of high energy nutrition (read sugar) for hardcore sailing. Competition never looked likely on the Saturday, so everyone adjourned to Weld Road to surf, laze about and check out the styley gear from sponsors: Carbonart, KA Sails, Gaastra and Naish. About 3 pm the bbq and Mike’s beers were busted out, capping off a very pleasant afternoon – as good as you could hope for without wind really!

Sunday found the TWC competitors heading to Kina Road in the hope of a northerly and out of range of our radio sponsor ZM. Thomas and a few other desperadoes dribbled around in some cross-on mush and almost everybody surfed in the fun conditions. Unfortunately decent wavesailing wasn’t on the cards for the second day running. Only one thing to do really: party it up, get the hangover from hell and the wind would blow for sure.

The 90 odd competitors met back at Oakura Boardriders Club for some great food and a few brewskis in the evening. Well over $7000 worth of spot prized were handed out. Of course the prize of all prizes at any TWC is the Carbon Art waveboard. James Dinnis arrived complete with a board ‘blank’ in tow; win the board and you could have whatever shape you desired! To great anticipation the winner was announced as Paul Sinclair from Invercargill. He looked pretty damn happy and gave James possibly the first ever ‘so stoked I won the board’ hug.

The Monday and the traveling convoy made its way in dribs and drabs (depending on the state of hungover-ness) down to Kina Road. About 12:30 the wind picked up from the north and Thomas (who else…) got out there to show us it was definitely sailable with the swell providing waves up to about half mast. In the space of about 10 minutes the number of sailors on the water went up to about 30 and the contest was on!

An hour-and-a-half of frenetic wave riding (and sharing waves nicely) found finalists for each division and then the top guns went out on their own for the finals. Paul Barron took out the Open Mens division, with hot competition from Clayton Dougan (2nd) and Dirk Schmidt (3rd). Katrin Dau snagged 1st in the Open Womens, with Leeanne (2nd) and Rewa (3rd) closely following. In the Juniors Jebbe out pointed the rest of the field, with Andy Mabin in 2nd and Thomas Davies in 3rd.

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